Christian Marclay’s The Clock is an international sensation that we’re pleased to bring here for its Midwest debut. A 24-hour video work that literally tells the time, The Clock features thousands of movie scenes depicting clocks, watches, and other timepieces, spliced together seamlessly. And you’ll watch the clips unfold precisely synced to our local time. Ranging from iconic movie scenes to more obscure film excerpts, The Clock includes “cameo appearances” by such stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart, Charlie Chaplin, Nicole Kidman, Robert Redford, and scores of other screen stars, as they watch or talk about the time.

Dazzling in its artistic and technical virtuosity, The Clock is a remarkable feat. The New York Times calls it a “beguiling dream of eternal cinema and also a startling wake-up call,” and the New Yorker writes, “it’s one of those things you have to see.” Like Annie Leibovitz, this is an exhibition you’ll want to visit time and again.

Born in California in 1955 and raised in Switzerland, Marclay currently lives in London, England. Over the past 30 years, he has explored the fusion of visual art and sound, transforming both through performance, collage, sculpture, installation, photography, and video. Longtime Wexner Center visitors may remember that Marclay participated in New Works for New Spaces: Into the Nineties (6 October 1990-6 January 1991), the final installment of three inaugural exhibitions for the center’s newly opened galleries. Also titled The Clock, his work for that show involved 25 timer-controlled hammering mechanisms mounted on the grid of steel beams running the full length of the building’s exterior. In effect, Marclay turned the scaffolding into an expansive bell tower whose “chimes” sounded once every hour. The project confronted and conversed with the Wexner Center building and its neighbors and—like The Clock of 2011—challenged us to reflect on both time and methods of tracking it.

Exhibition Policies
Visitors to The Clock are admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Demand is expected to be high, and space in the gallery is limited, so you may experience significant wait times.

Once inside the installation you may stay as long as you like. The installation has couches and standing room. The number of visitors at any one time will be limited.

If you leave the exhibition for any reason, you give up your space and will have to rejoin the gallery's admission line for reentry.

Food, beverages, cameras, and recording devices are prohibited.

Brief periods of nudity and strong language occur in The Clock. The exhibition is recommended for visitors no younger than seven years of age. Visitors with children should use their discretion.

The exhibition is wheelchair accessible.

Please avoid bringing large personal items with you, as items may not be placed on the floor once inside the gallery, and our coat check is unstaffed.

So that you can experience The Clock at every hour of the day and night, we will keep the gallery open all night and through the next morning on selected dates. Admission to The Clock will be free when the ticket desk is closed on these dates (after 8 PM on Saturday evenings and before 11 AM on the following Sundays).

The extended hours on Saturday, January 26 are intended for the Wexner Center’s members, the university community of students, faculty, staff, and others attending the Lambert Family Lecture—A Conversation with Christian Marclay and Josiah McElheny—at 5 PM and the Exhibition Preview from 6 to 9 PM.

Check back here for additions or updates to these dates.

Admission

Free for Wexner Center members, college students with ID, and anyone under 18. All visitors are admitted to the exhibitions for free on Thursdays after 4 PM and on the first Sunday of each month; also free with a ticket to any same-day Wexner Center event